Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 5367, Abner Dunbar, Mass.

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass.
Dunbar, Abner
S. 5367
carded
CONTENTS

3021.
Massachusetts
Abner Dunbar
Henceforth in the State of Mass who was a Private in the Company commanded by Captain [blank] of the Regt commanded by Col Putnam in the Revolutionary War time for 7 Mths 8 Days
Inscribed on the Roll of Mass at the rate of 24 Dollars 21 Cents per annum, to commence on the 14th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 12 th day of Dec 1832 and sent Silas James Brewster Record
Arrears to 14th of Sept 1832 $36.31 Semi-annual allowance ending Mar 31 12.10 218.41
{ Revolutionary Claim, } { Act June 7, 1832. }
Recorded by H. S. Blair Clerk Book D Vol. 27 Page 10

I hereby certify that the following is the record of Almer Dunbar age as recorded on the Town Book of Records, Leicester. Ms.
Almer Dunbar son of John & Abigail Dunbar was born April 9 th 1722
Leicester Aug 14 1832 John Sargent Town Clerk

N o 4404
Abner Dunbar
Private
7 Mar & 8 Days
14 & 16 micrograms before
Mar 28 1832
Admiral
$24.21.
Silas Jones Esq.
Leicester Mass P107.

BRIEF in the case of  Abner Dunbar of the County of Worcester  in the State of Mass.  (Act 7th June, 1832.)
 1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge? Court,  2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disabled by bodily infirmity?  3. How old is he? 79 years.  4. State his service, as directed in the form annexed. 
   Period. Duration of Service. Rank. Names of General and field Officers under whom he served.   Years, Months, Days.     In 1775 Nov r . — 1 15 Volun t . Gen. Capt Pope, St. Green   76 June — 5 10 ditto Col. Holman, Capt. Lincoln   75 — — 13 minute Man Capt Washburn  
 5. In what battles was he engaged? White Plains 
15 10 13 38
 6. Where did he reside when he entered the service? Leicester 
 7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by documentary proof, by traditional evidence, by incidental evidence, or by the rolls? Deposition 
 8. Are the papers defective as to form or authentication? and if so, in what respect? 
I Certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree with the evidence in the case above mentioned.
Levin Belt Examining Clerk.

DECLARATION, in order to secure the benefit of the Act of Congress, passed June 7, 1832.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
COUNTY OF WORCESTER, ss.
ON this fourteenth day of August in the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and thirty two personally appeared in open Court, before Nathl. Paine Esq. Judge of Probate etc. for said County of Worcester now sitting at Worcester at the County of a resident of Leicester in the County of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged seventy nine years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress, passed June 7th 1832.
THAT he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated.
He was born in Leicester in said County of Worcester on the 9th day of April 1753 & was seventy nine years old the 9th day of April 1832. He has always lived in said Leicester. That in November 1775 a certain number of militia men were called for from Leicester & that this declarant was one of the number that volunteered. He cannot recollect the day of the month, but is sure it was about the middle of said month of Novr. He marched immediately to Roxchester near Boston Mass. Under Lt. Saml. Green of said Leicester on their arrival at Roxchester Capt. Pope (he thinks William Pope) of Lunenburg took command of the Comp. & said Green acted as lieutenant. This levy was called two months men, but the term of service was but about six weeks, he remained in the service at said Roxchester until the first of Decr. Decr. or thereabouts, & was then & there discharged, he had no written discharge & he believes none of the Comp. had.
This declarant entered the service again on a call for men to go to N-York in June 1776, he thinks the 20th & marched immediately to N-York in the Comp. commanded by Capt. Longfellow of said Leicester, Joel Green of Spencer first lieutenant & he thinks Grant of Holden 2nd Lt. He was attached to a Regt. commanded by Col. Holman of Sutton, the names of some of the Captains of other companies in the same Regt. were, Wilcut of Brookfield, Gates of Hardwick & Wm. Gates of Worcester. His company was stationed a few weeks at N-York then at Greenwich on the Island, & on the north river, which they left the day the the British took the the British then had the a short time, then went to the north river where they where they engaged in the battle with the British, in the evening after the battle, they retreated up the river about a mile & half, soon afterward Genl. Washington crossed over the river into the Jerseys, & the declarant remained above the white Plains until about the first of Decemr. 1776 he thinks it was the first day of the month, when he & the rest of the Comp. were discharged & returned home to Leicester, this last term of service was five Months & ten days he had no written discharge, the record of the declarants age is hereunto annexed, he has no documentary evidence of his service, but Andrew Hunt is Elijah Warrens deposition, who was with him in both campaigns, & now is, & ever has been a fellow townsman, & have been intimately acquainted all their days.
He also declares that on the 19th day of April in 1775, he being a Minuteman, did march from said Leicester in the company of Minutemen, so called, commanded by Capt. Seth Washburn of said Leicester, to Cambridge in Mass. near Boston & remained in said company at said Cambridge thirteen days, was then dismissed & returned home to said Leicester.
 Minutemen service - 13 days  Leicester Campaign - 6 weeks  N-York - do - 5 Months 
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
Nathl. Paine Judge of Probate for the County of Worcester
Andrew Hunt

We John Nelson a Clergyman residing in the Parish of Worcester County and Phinehas Jones residing in Spencer in said County hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Abner Dummer who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be seventy nine years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the revolution, and we concur in that opinion.
Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
Worcester ss August 14 th 1832 Then the above named John Nelson & Phinehas Jones made oath to the truth to the best of their knowledge of the above certificate by them subscribed before me Nathaniel Denny Justiciarius
And the said court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above mentioned applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served as he states.
And the court further certifies, that it appears to them that John Nelson who signed the preceding certificate, is a clergyman, resident in the Parish of Worcester and that Phinehas Jones
who has also signed the same is a resident in the Parish of Worcester and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit. They being known to me as persons of good Character & Reputation.
S. H. GATNE Judge of Probate for the County of Worcester
I Theophilus Wheeler Register , Clerk of the Court of Probate for the County of Worcester do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Abner Dummer for a pension.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand & affixed the seal of the Court of Probate this
12 th day of August
in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty two.
Theophilus Wheeler Register of Probate for the County of Worcester in Massachusetts
Abner Dummer NO 4,404 Declaration
Deas Jones  Proctor Worcester County Massachusetts Attorney for Applicant

Rev War 5364 INVALID.
File No. 5367 Gabriel Dumbars Print Rev War
Act: June 7 th 1832
Index:—Vol. M , Page 104
[Arrangement of 1870.]

Guano Rhy. 46.66.
Annos Inubus
with Wids # 21497.
Nov 12/78.
OL.

Worcester ss. Commonwealth of Massachusetts ~ Know all men I Elijah Warren of Leicester. do on Oath depose & say that Abner Dunbar of said Leicester did (on the Nineteenth day of April one thousand seven hundred & seventyfive) march from said Leicester with a company of Minute men commanded by Capt. Seth Washburn of said Leicester to Cambridge in Mass. near Boston and remained in said Comp. of Minutemen thirteen days. was then dismissed & returned home ~ and that in the fall of the same year, I Elijah Warren was a soldier in Capt. Pops Company & Col. Wards Regt. stationed in Dorchester near Boston in Mass. & continued in said Comp. six weeks & was then regularly dismissed about the first of Jan y in 1776. and that Abner Dunbar before named was a soldier in the same comp t for the same term of time & was dism- iss ed at the same time ~ and Also that in 1776 I the said Elijah Warren was a soldier & entered the service of the United states about the 20 th of June & marched to N-York. & was stationed in N-York & in Greenwich on the north river until the retreat of our Army from the City of said N-York. & was in Capt. Lincolns Company & Col. Holmans Regt. Our Regt. retrea- ted with the American Army. & kept up a continued retreat until from place to place until we arrived at White Plains in N-York. & was engaged in the battle at that place After which we retreated from place to place until we reached Courtlandt s Bridge. or Courtlandt s Manner. or a name something like it. where we remained three or four weeks until our time of service was fully out, which was five months and ten days ~ And that Abner Dunbar before named was a soldier with me in the same Comp t & Regt. & served the same length of time, and that we were regularly dismissed. ~
Elijah Warren
Augt 13 th 1832 Worcester ss. Personally Appeared who subscribed to the above Elijah Warren & made Oath that the foregoing statement is the truth according to his best knowledge and recollection. ~ before me ~ Austin Flint Justice of the Peace ~
I hereby certify that I am personally acquainted with Elijah Warren & that he is a man of unquestionable Veracity & that the truth of his deposition will not be disputed where he is known ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Austin Flint Justice of the Peace Leicester Mass. Decem r 3. 1832 ~ ~

No 4404 Abner Dunbar
Silas Jones Esq. Leicester Mass.

BRIEF objections to the admission of Pension Claims, of which those answered in the negative, in red ink, will apply to the claim of Abner Dunbar which require further proof or explanation.
I. Does the declaration show where the applicant resides ? yes II. Did the declarant make the declaration in the county where he resides ? yes . III. If the applicant did not make the declaration in the county where he resides, is there any reason assigned for his not doing so ? IV. Has the declarant mentioned the period or periods of the war when he served ? yes V. *Has he mentioned with precision the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language so definite as to enable the department to determine to what amount of pension he is entitled ? yes VI. Has he given the names of the officers under whom he served, in conformity with the regulations ? yes VII. Has he made a relinquishment of every claim to any other pension than the one under the Act of June 7, 1832 ? yes VIII. Has the Court given their opinion ? yes IX. Has the Clerk given his certificate ? yes X. Is the Clerk's seal affixed ? And if so, has it a device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal ? yes .

XI. Has the applicant obtained the evidence of a clergyman and another respectable citizen as to their belief respecting his age and the general belief in his neighborhood relative to his revolutionary service? yes XII. If the clergyman's affidavit has not been produced, is there any reason assigned for not obtaining it? XIII. If the applicant has no documentary evidence, and has not obtained the testimony of at least one living witness, has he stated in his declaration that such proof cannot be had? XIV. † If the applicant has produced a witness or witnesses as to his service, has the magistrate who administered the oath certified that he, she, or they are persons of credibility? yes XV. Does it appear from any of the papers that the witness was in such a situation, or of such an age, as to have a personal knowledge of the applicant's service? yes XVI. ‡ Are the papers authenticated as the regulations direct? yes XVII. Are the seven interrogatories prescribed by the War Department answered satisfactorily? And, if not, which of them is not so answered? yes
 EXPLANATORY NOTES.
* QUERE V. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the loss of memory, state precisely how long he served, he should amend his declaration by making an affidavit in the following words:
"Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that, by reason of old age, and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service, but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below, and in the following grades: For _____ year _____ months and _____ days, I served as a _____. For _____ months and _____ days, I served as a _____; and for such service I claim a pension."

It is important in all cases to determine with precision the period for which the applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service. The use of the phrase about three or four months is too indefinite, and all such qualifying expressions are objectionable.
QUERE XIV.  Proof of Service.
In a case where the name of the applicant is not found on the records of the Department, he must prove his service by two credible witnesses, who are required to set forth in their affidavits the time of the claimants entering the service, and the time and manner of his leaving the same, as well as the regiment, company, and line to which he belonged. The magistrate who may administer the oaths must certify to the credibility of the witnesses, and the affidavits must be properly authenticated, as above directed.
QUERE XVI.  Mode of authenticating papers.
In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authenticated the papers is not written on the same sheet of paper which contains the affidavit, or other paper authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the end of which must pass under the seal of office of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.